The Duhks were fabulous, well worth the ticket price. Which is good, because I didn’t love the Waybacks. But seriously, the Duhks are great. A little bluegrass, a little world music, a little gospel, even a little funk now & then. Their singer Sarah (who I think joined the band last year) is incredible. Some singers eventually let go and get to a really good place. She starts there. The banjo guy, Leonard, is good; I wished he had showed off a little more last night. Tania, who plays fiddle, is fun to watch because she plays well and has a good time doing it, and the drummer and guitarist are both interesting without being overpowering.

I will say they had a couple of politically-tinged songs, I think both by Sarah, and predictably they leaned the other way from me. I can usually handle that if the quality of the song & lyrics outdo the usual “love is all you need” mushiness. (Ben Harper is a good example.) This was not the case with songs like “Fast Paced World,” whose lyrics I just found stale & fluffy. But this was the only song I really couldn’t get into (I can stomach the one French song since they’re French Canadian, although I certainly didn’t pay to go to a Celine Dion show).

All that to say: Check out the Duhks. We have their first record, they have a new one coming out in August, and I think there are two in between. Better yet, catch them live if you get a chance. They are great musicians, have great songs, and put on a really fun show.